Using medicine containing haraam ingredients

If a person has a disease which is not life threatening like a form of psoriasis which affects only the nails and does not affect the functioning of body systems or ichthyosis vulgaris which causes fish skin like patches on the skin or if a person has just a severe acne ,and if it is known that the medicinal cream contains haram ingredients like glycerine or other chemicals extracted from haram sources ,is it permitted to apply that medicine if no other medicine is available?

Answer :

If the person doesn’t know the origin of the cream whether it is made of animal fat or not and whether it is made from animal fat which is slaughtered in Islamic manner or not then he can use the cream and need not worry about that.

If a person knows with certainty that it is from animal fat which is not slaughtered according to Islamic manner then he should not use the cream. As the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has prohibited to use fat from dead animals in ships as it came in hadeeth :

Narrated Jabir bin ‘Abdullah, In the year of the conquest of Makkah, I heard Allah’s Messenger (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) saying, “Allah and His Messenger made illegal the trade of alcoholic liquors, dead animals, pigs and idols.” The people asked, “O Allah’s Messenger! What about the fat of dead animals, for it was used for greasing the boats and, the hides; and people use it for lights?” He said, “No, it is illegal.” Allah’s Messenger(Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) further said, “May Allah curse
the Jews, for Allah made the fat (of animals) illegal for them, yet they melted the fat and sold it and ate its price .” (Al Bukhari – 2236, Muslim)